


no place like home for the holidays

by thecrackshiplollipop



Series: 12 Days of Julyberry [2]
Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, Holidays, Meet the Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2014-12-14
Packaged: 2018-03-01 14:32:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2776544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecrackshiplollipop/pseuds/thecrackshiplollipop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rachel finds that worrying about meeting Cassie's family was probably not a productive use of her time. Maybe. This is just the first day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	no place like home for the holidays

“It’s just a week,” Cassie says as patiently as she can muster. Rachel makes a strangled noise in the back of her throat and glares at the side of Cassie’s face as the flight attendant rattles up with his little drink cart.

“Can I get you ladies anything to drink?”

“Vodka and tomato juice,” Rachel says quickly, refusing to meet Cassie’s stare while the attendant grabs the requested items from the cart. “Thank you,” she says tersely once she’s got the tiny vodka bottle, the can of tomato juice, and a little plastic cup with ice. Cassie waves the man away and watches Rachel who is very focused on fixing herself a Bloody Mary.

“You hate Bloody Marys.” Cassie says once Rachel has poured the entire contents of the vodka bottle into the cup.

“It’s more respectable than ordering vodka straight.” Rachel says and takes a sip of the vodka, ignoring the can of tomato juice. She chews on her bottom lip and finally meets Cassie’s eyes. “I don’t think I’m going to survive this.”

“Oh please,” Cassie snorts, “you stood up to me a hundred times at NYADA. How is this intimidating.”

“It’s _your_ family. They raised you! They love you. And plus, that’s a lot of... _you_ in one house.” Rachel says around an ice cube.

“And I’ve spent _how many_ Hanukkahs at the Berry household?” Cassie asks with a raised brow.

“Two.” Rachel points and then takes another sip of her drink.

“Right.” Cassie exhales, fidgeting with the Sky Mall that’s open on her tray. “Look. I haven’t been back there in years. I just wanted-”

“Oh,” Rachel frowns, immediately feeling like a huge jerk. “I know,” she says, reaching over and covering Cassie’s hands with her own. “I know. I’m just. This is big? And I don’t think I realised how big it is until take off. It’ll be fine.”

“You sure?”

“Think so,” Rachel says, trying to smile.

“Good enough for me,” Cassie says, snatching the vodka and can of juice from Rachel’s tray before she can blink.

“Hey!”

“If you order a Bloody Mary, you’re going to drink one.” She clicks her tongue and pops the tab of the tomato juice. 

"But I don't like-"

"I don't  _make_ the rules, I enforce them." 

* * *

It’s a perfectly normal farmhouse. At least. Rachel _imagines_ it’s what a perfectly normal farmhouse looks like. One story with white clapboard siding, forest green shutters, and a long L-shaped porch complete with a swing and a cream coloured cat dozing in a patch of weak sunlight. There’s a fence around a yard where a large golden retriever is romping about, huffing and woofing at their arrival.

Rachel squeezes the handle to her suitcase so hard it actually creaks and Cassie stops short of opening the gate, much to the dismay of the retriever.

“It’s just my grandparents, Schwim.” The nickname, over time, has softened with affection, and it doesn't carry as much mean baggage like it used to. Cassie bumps Rachel with her shoulder and then works at unlatching the gate. “Just remember, they're just people, and you're going to do fine.”

“It’s not that … well, sort of. It's just... they’re really country, right?” Rachel glances at Cassie, who just shrugs, like the giant farm they'd driven through to get to the house wasn't an indication. “I think I’m too…”

“Ohio?”

“Yeah,” Rachel says flatly. “And they know I’m Jewish, right?” Cassie gives Rachel a look that says _‘are you fucking kidding me’_ and opens the gate.

“With all this commotion they probably already know we're here.” Cassie says, deflecting the barking dog before he can jump up on her. He lets out a delighted woof and bounds around in a circle before attempting to jump on Rachel.

“You think?” She asks over the barking, trying to keep the dog from knocking her back. “What the hell is wrong with this dog?”

“He likes visitors!”

Both of them jump and look up at the porch where a tiny weathered woman in jeans and a fluffy white sweater is standing with her hands on her hips.

“Grams! We were just about to come to the door.”

“Sure you were. Come here before that damn dog takes one of you out. Let me get a look at you.”

“Grams, can we-”

“Shut it." The woman says affectionately, squeezing Cassie into a similarly crushing hug. "You're pale. Was the drive down alright?"

"Oh yeah. This is just my winter look," Cassie motions at herself.

"Hm.” she taps her chin, "well, we'll see if we can't get some vitamin D into you this week. It's good to have you home, hun."

"It's good to be home, Grams. This is-"

Her grandmother waves her hand and turns to Rachel, taking hold of her shoulders with this set, determined look on her face. “ _You_ must be Rachel.”

“Uh-” Rachel blinks and opens her mouth to say something but then Cassie’s grandmother is hugging her, pinning Rachel’s arms to her sides with far more strength than Rachel anticipated. "Oh!"

“Grams,” Cassie says from somewhere to Rachel’s right, “let my girlfriend go before you break her in half.”

“Oh,” the woman lets Rachel go and stands back, looking her over appraisingly. “She’s pretty, Cassie.”

“Oh god. Okay, let’s go inside before I die of embarrassment or frostbite.” Rachel doesn’t have to see her rolling her eyes to know that’s exactly what Cassie’s doing as she moves around them and up to the front door.

* * *

“You just stay in here with David and we’ll get some drinks. What will you have, sweetie?” Cassie’s grandmother, Kay, asks after she reemerges from tucking their suitcases away in Cassie’s old room.

“Oh, um, we brought something actually. Cassie knows.”

“Excellent,” her grandmother smiles and grabs Cassie by the shoulders, steering her around the corner and into the kitchen.

Cassie’s grandfather clears his throat after a moment of silence stretches between them. “So, Rachel?” he says as Rachel settles onto the love seat. Rachel is tense, wishing Kay hadn’t whisked Cassie away so fast; she feels completely exposed.

“Yes, sir?”

“Call me David,” he says, a smile creasing his darkly tanned face. His eyes are bright blue and his hair is still almost completely black, which baffles Rachel since all three of her grandfathers were bald or grey by the time she was born. He’s a tall man, now stretched out across a blue-and-green armchair looking like he’s the most comfortable man on earth.

“Oh. Right.” She nods, feeling the tension coiling in her muscles so tightly her back starts to ache. “David.”

“How was the drive from Austin?”

“Um. Actually,” Rachel bites her bottom lip, trying to remember the way the city had melted into suburb and then the nothingness of the countryside. “It was really cool. Rural areas are so different down here.”

“Is it all the cedar and cows?” Cassie’s grandmother, Kay, asks loudly, bustling in from the kitchen with a couple of beers and Cassie in tow with a beer and the apple cider Rachel had made her buy at the gas station in town. “Oh no y’all have cows in the north.” Her grandmother laughs, handing an open beer to Cassie’s grandfather before she sits down in the couch across from Rachel. Cassie settles in next to Rachel, sitting close enough so they just barely touch. It’s enough to ease some of the tension and Rachel sits back a little more comfortably.

Where Cassie’s grandfather is tall and broad, her grandmother is impossibly small. But, like her husband, she has strong muscles and dark skin from long days under the unforgiving sun. Her sharp eyes are the same colour and shape as Cassie’s and it takes Rachel aback every time she looks at the woman, because it’s almost like having Cassie stare back. The woman makes up for how little physical space she takes up with a loud, twanging voice and laughter that can be heard from outside.

They’re both looking at Rachel and Cassie expectantly. Cassie’s grandfather takes a sip of beer and sits back in his chair again, turning his attention to the muted show on the TV. It looks like some show about tractors or maybe it’s hay, Rachel can’t tell, and she’s too nervous to try and read the subtitles.

“So Cassie tells me you’re a vegetarian,” her grandmother says suddenly, drawing Rachel’s attention back from the tractor on the TV.

“Oh! Yes. Since I was twelve, actually.”

“Does that mean you don’t eat cheese?” David asks, putting down his beer and crossing his arms loosely over his stomach.

“No, those are vegans Grandpa,” Cassie says exasperatedly, like they’d been over this before.

“I used to be a vegan, though,” Rachel offers, shrugging, “I like cheese too much.”

“Well that’s good,” Kay nods. “I’ve got Cassie’s cousin Beth bringing a tofurkey from Austin and I think most of the sides are vegetarian.”

“Oh wow. That’s,” Rachel shakes her head, “y-”

“Now what the hell is a tofurkey.” David asks loudly, sitting up in his arm chair so the footrest retracts loudly.

“It’s a fake turkey, David,” Kay says sharply, giving him a look that Rachel has seen on Cassie’s face a thousand times.

“I thought vegetarians ate vegetables!”

“It’s made out of soy, Grandpa,” Cassie says quickly, trying to diffuse the discussion before it gets convoluted.

“Turkey made out of soy?” David scratches his head, “well I’ll be damned.”

“This is going to be a long week,” Cassie whispers before taking a long drink of her beer. Rachel just nods, trying to cover her amusement by taking a drink of her cider.

* * *

“Let’s see, Teeny and H.A. will be here with the kids in the morning, and Jeanie already called and said she’s got some work stuff to finish so we’re expecting her Christmas day. And then we’ve got Beth and John coming in from Austin on Christmas morning, so we’ll have a full house by then.” Kay is elbow-deep in hot, soapy water, washing the wine glasses that haven’t been used in probably two years.

“How many kids does Teeny have now?” Cassie asks, a little twang slipping into her voice when she says ‘Teeny’.

“Six. The littlest one, what’s his name? DAVID!”

Rachel stifles a laugh, biting her lip hard as she focuses on working the cork out of a bottle of wine.

“Huh?!”

“What’s Teeny’s baby’s name? Jeff?”

“Uhh. Oh! I think it’s Jimmy.”

“Oh right, little Jimmy. He turned one last month. And then there’s Darla, the three year old. And...”

Rachel and Cassie exchange horrified looks while Cassie’s grandmother lists off Teeny’s other children. Rachel finally pops the cork on the wine and Cassie says a silent prayer, wondering if it’s appropriate to get intoxicated before her cousin arrives in the morning.

* * *

“Not bad for the first day,” Cassie says quietly, bumping Rachel with her elbow. They’re standing just outside the gate on the edge of the light from the porch. Everything beyond that puddle of light is pitch black without the light from the moon. It’s much colder than they’d anticipated, so they’re bundled in their jackets and wrapped up in extra blankets from the den.

“No, not bad. But it’s not over yet.” Rachel says after a beat, still staring at the sky like the stars might turn off at any moment. Wind rustles the trees in the pasture and a cow lows in the distance and it’s so quiet Rachel can hear everything, a million sounds both familiar and different. It’s so peaceful that Rachel finally feels herself starting to relax for the first time since take off that morning. “It’s so beautiful out here. Peaceful.”

“Mm. It’ll drive you crazy after a while, though.” She  stuffs her hands into the pockets of her jacket and turns to Rachel, her nose and cheeks pink from the cold. “Especially in the winter. Everything moves so slow.”

“And it’s cold.” Rachel tilts her head, looking at Cassie.

“Not always. But yeah. There were a few years where our heater broke and we all had to sleep in the living room with the fire going.”

“That sounds kind of neat, actually. Rustic.”

“Oh yeah?” Cassie arches her brow. “I’ll see if Grams would let us sleep in the living room.”

“You think she would?”

“I wasn’t being serious,” Cassie says, shaking her head. “They wake up before dawn and I would very much like a door between myself and the sound of my grandmother singing Christmas carols while she unloads the dishwasher.”

“Supper’s ready!” Cassie’s grandmother calls from the porch, her voice slicing through the silence and startling Rachel enough so she jumps.

“Speak of the devil! Now imagine that as a wake up call,” Cassie mumbles. “Come on, I’m excited to see what Grams came up with for your vegetarian dinner.”

“Oh god,” Rachel groans, “please tell me you remembered to pack the emergency snacks.”

“Of course,” Cassie says with a wink and traipses back through the gate and up the porch steps, Rache right on her heel.

* * *

“It’s _cold_ ,” Rachel says, teeth chattering as she settles into bed.

“I think the heat’s on the fritz in this room,” Cassie sighs, “we might end up sleeping in the living room, anyway.”

“Not tonight,” Rachel groans and tugs the blanket tight to her chin.

“Come here then,” Cassie says gruffly, tugging Rachel close so they’re spooning. “Better?”

“I guess.” Rachel lets out a little yawn and settles back against Cassie. The room is so quiet it’s almost unsettling. There’s no sounds of traffic, no noisy neighbours or loud people down on the sidewalk, not even the occasional comforting tick of a clock. It’s just them, Cassie’s rhythmic breathing matching Rachel’s, and the occasional rustle of sheets as they try to keep the warmth close.

“Thank you for doing this,” Cassie says after the silence gets to be too much, fiddling with the fraying hem of Rachel’s pyjama shirt.

“For coming here?”

“Mmhm.”

“Cassie, they’re your family, and I want to be a part of that, no matter how crazy or country it might be.” She sounds so sincere, tangling her fingers with Cassie’s and squeezing gently. “It means a lot that you wanted me to be here and meet your grandparents.”

“Oh _god_ ,” Cassie groans, pulling her hand from Rachel’s to smack her forehead, “don’t get all emotional on me.” Rachel laughs and rolls over to look at Cassie in the dim starlight that’s streaming in through the blinds.

“Oh please _._ You called me your girlfriend, like, twice today. You  _love_ me, even if you don’t really have a heart.”

“I’m starting to regret this, Schwim.” Cassie scoffs. Rachel just shakes her head and kisses her softly. “Still kind of regretting it,” Cassie murmurs against Rachel’s mouth. Rachel just laughs and kisses Cassie again, harder and more forceful, running her hand up the back of Cassie’s shirt. Cassie groans, cupping Rachel’s jaw before sliding her hand into Rachel’s hair.

“Okay,” Cassie says, pulling back for a little breathing room, “okay but remember this tomorrow when we have to go out to the pasture to count cows.”

“Oh god,” Rachel rolls her eyes, but then Cassie is kissing her again, and she forgets all about the cows and counting and the babies and the first night of Hanukkah and Christmas. Rachel’s whole world focuses in on the feeling of Cassie’s lips against her own, needy and insistent, and the cold of Cassie’s hand against the warm skin of her stomach. “Can we?” Rachel pants, feeling both cold and burning hot in the space of a heartbeat.

“They’re asleep,” Cassie says, gently pushing Rachel onto her back. “They won’t wake up.”

“Good,” Rachel whispers, and pulls Cassie back for another kiss, figuring this can _totally_ count for a combined Christmas/Hanukkah present.

 

 


End file.
